These cathead biscuits are huge, soft, pillowy, and delicious; you'll want to serve them at every meal! They are easy to make without cutting, rolling, or yeast required! With just a few ingredients, you'll be chowing down on these truly impressive biscuits in less than 30 minutes!
Serve at breakfast with some honey or roasted berries. Or pair them with some crockpot chicken and gravy at dinnertime! Enjoy!
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My cathead biscuits are fluffy inside and crisp and golden outside and can be paired with any meal you want!
Enjoy them with jelly, honey, or butter for breakfast. Or, use them to sop up some broth or gravy at dinnertime. I wouldn't even blame you if you cut them in half to make a sandwich for lunch!
These tasty drop biscuits are about as impressive as they come. Simply use your hands to mix up the dough and drop the balls into your pan!
You don't need anything fancy to make these, but everyone who tries them is definitely going to be wowed!
🥘 Ingredients
These tasty biscuits only need 5 ingredients to make! You might already have everything you need, but if you don't, you can find these items at your local supermarket.
- Self-Rising Flour - 4 cups of self-rising flour, measured using the spoon and level method.
- Salt - A pinch of salt.
- Vegetable Shortening - 3 tablespoons of room-temperature vegetable shortening (such as Crisco).
- Buttermilk - 1½-1¾ cups of buttermilk. I would recommend starting out with 1½ cups (added gradually) and seeing if you need the additional ¼ cup.
- Butter - ¼ cup of butter that has been melted. This is for brushing over the tops of the biscuits when they come out of the oven!
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Make Cathead Biscuits
One of the reasons I love these buttermilk biscuits is that there's no kneading, rolling, or cutting required! Go ahead and get a large mixing bowl, an 8-inch cake pan (or cast iron skillet), and your measuring cups to begin!
This recipe makes 8 biscuits (but they are incredibly huge!)
- Preheat. Preheat your oven to 475°F (245°C) and grease an 8-inch cake pan (or, you can use a cast iron skillet).
- Begin making the dough. Sift 4 cups of self-rising flour and a pinch of salt together into a large mixing bowl. Then, make a well in the center of the flour and drop 3 tablespoons of shortening into the center. Add in just a splash of buttermilk and then use your hands to work the shortening into the flour until it is fully incorporated.
- Work the dough. Gradually add in 1½ cups of buttermilk, only pouring in about ¼ cup at a time, while you continue to work the dough with your hands. Stop adding buttermilk once you have formed a sticky dough. *You could use anywhere from 1½ - 1¾ cups of buttermilk. Start with 1½ and see if you need more.
- Make dough balls. Separate the dough into 8 equal-sized balls. Then, place the balls into the prepared cake pan (or cast iron skillet), making a ring around the outside and then placing the final ball in the center. Use your fingers to gently flatten the dough balls until they are touching.
- Bake. Bake in the oven at 475°F (245°C) for 15-20 minutes or until the tops have become a golden brown color.
- Serve. Remove the biscuits from the oven and brush ¼ cup of melted butter over top. Then, serve immediately.
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- If you don't have self-rising flour, you can use the same amount of all-purpose flour, but add in 4 level teaspoons of baking powder and sift them together until well combined. Then, use as directed in the recipe.
- This recipe could use anywhere from 1½ to 1¾ cups of buttermilk. Make sure you add it into the dough gradually so you can see when you have used enough.
- If desired, you can brush the melted butter over the top of the dough before you bake them in the oven.
🥡 Storing & Reheating
These biscuits definitely taste the best when they are fresh. However, they can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days if needed.
Reheating
You can certainly enjoy these biscuits at room temperature or heat them up. Place your biscuits onto a wire rack set inside a baking sheet. Bake them in the oven at 350°F (175°C) for about 5 minutes.
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❓ Recipe FAQs
Let's just address the elephant in the room: there are no cats or catfish involved in these biscuits. They got their name because they are said to be as large as a cat's head (which is true!)
The tang of buttermilk is definitely what gives these biscuits their distinct flavor. However, if you don't have any buttermilk, you can easily make your own (which I recommend over simply using plain milk as a substitute). Just mix together 1¾ cups of room temperature whole milk with 1¾ tablespoons of vinegar (or lemon juice) and let the combination sit for 10 minutes before using.
While it is pretty clear that cathead biscuits come from the South, no one really knows exactly how they came to be! These biscuits are just an authentic and traditional recipe that has been passed down through the generations. They are made so huge because they aren't intended to be a treat or a snack but part of the main course itself!
🥐 More Easy Bread Recipes
- Butter Herb Rhodes Rolls - Classic dinner rolls that are buttery and delicious!
- Sour Cream Cornbread - Sour cream is the secret ingredient in this homemade cornbread!
- 3-Ingredient Drop Biscuits - Simple and easy biscuits that can be whipped up in a pinch!
- Irish Soda Bread - A 4-ingredient buttermilk bread that doesn't need any yeast!
- Blueberry Muffin Bread - A sweet bread loaf that tastes just like blueberry muffins!
- Banana Bread - Make sure to save your ripe bananas for some incredibly delicious banana bread!
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📖 Recipe Card
Cathead Biscuits
Ingredients
- 4 cups self-rising flour
- 1 pinch salt
- 3 tablespoon vegetable shortening (room temperature, or more as needed)
- 1½ cups buttermilk (or more, as needed)
- ¼ cup butter (melted, for brushing over the tops of the biscuits)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 475°F (245°C) and grease an 8-inch cake pan (or, you can use a cast iron skillet).
- Sift the self-rising flour and salt together into a large mixing bowl. Then, make a well in the center of the flour and drop the shortening into the center. Add in just a splash of buttermilk and then use your hands to work the shortening into the flour.
- Gradually add in the buttermilk, only pouring in about ¼ cup at a time, while you continue to work the dough with your hands. Stop adding buttermilk once you have formed a sticky dough. *You could use anywhere from 1½ - 1¾ cups of buttermilk. Start with 1½ and see if you need more.
- Separate the dough into 8 equal-sized balls. Then, place the balls into the prepared cake pan (or cast iron skillet), making a ring around the outside and then placing the final ball in the center. Use your fingers to gently flatten the dough balls until they are touching.
- Bake in the oven at 475°F (245°C) for 15-20 minutes, or until the tops have become a golden brown color.
- Remove the biscuits from the oven and brush the melted butter over top. Then, serve immediately.
Notes
- If you don't have self-rising flour, you can use the same amount of all-purpose flour, but add in 4 level teaspoons of baking powder and sift them together until well combined. Then, use as directed in the recipe.
- This recipe could use anywhere from 1½ - 1¾ cups of buttermilk. Make sure you add it into the dough gradually so you can see when you have used enough.
- If desired, you can brush the melted butter over the top of the dough before you bake them in the oven.
- To store: These biscuits definitely taste the best when they are fresh. However, they can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days if needed.
- To reheat: Place your biscuits onto a wire rack set inside of a baking sheet. Bake them in the oven at 350°F (175°C) for about 5 minutes.
Beth says
Very easy to make and I suggest serving with honey, yummy!